Sunday, I was off to Pueblo for a semiannual meeting with fellow Colorado Association of Nutrition Services directors. A tad bit of a long drive that afternoon, but a nice one. I settled into the motel and proceeded to read and crochet a bit, then creep across the room to figure out what the ping, ping, ping sound was that appeared to be coming from outside my second-story room. I cautiously peeked out the window and found marble-sized hail was the culprit. The building was pelted steadily for the next five minutes, with many cars trying to cram under the portico. I hoped I wasn’t going to hear a train in the midst of the pings — a tornado experience is not high on my list. Been there, done that, don’t need to do it again.

The meeting was great, as usual, meeting with fellow directors to share successes, failures and new ideas.

The State Unit on Aging joined us mid-morning to share some new practices, fill us in on upcoming changes and discuss our meal programs a little more in depth. They officially confirmed a suspicion we’ve had for many years: Yes, Virginia, we are the most federally regulated nutrition program in the nation. No surprise; I wish children were required to eat as healthy as the seniors we serve.

Another requirement we have is our client registration. Most are not thrilled that they need to complete the form, but after a quick explanation of why we gather the information we do, most are happy to help out. One question on the form is regarding income, another regarding veteran status, nutritional information, and so on. Reports is my middle name; with your information we are able to report who we are serving, which may or may not have an impact on our funding stream. A recent e-mail I received was regarding a possible grant for veterans; by running a report on the number of veterans we serve, I will be collaborating with our Veteran Service Officer Raymond Taylor and applying for additional funding.

The day was long and the drive home made for an even longer day, but it’s always good to be home and back to my peeps at Cafe Fox and the Silver Foxes Den.

Special events

Baby/Young Child Photo Contest. We’re getting quite a few of your baby/young child photos. Bring in your favorite photo (of yourself) and we’ll make a copy of it for our “name that baby/young child photo contest” in June! Keep ‘em coming! I dug up a prize for the one that has the most correct guesses.

Wednesday, June 6, at 12:30 p.m., we are very pleased to welcome Lizz Baldwin with ARCH (Adult Resource for Care and Help) — a new organization in town with great services.

Learn more about the mission of the Colorado ARCH and how you can benefit from their services. Their mission is:

• To serve as a visible and trusted source of information on the full range of long term services and support options that are available in the community.

• To provide personalized and consumer-friendly assistance to empower individuals to make informed decisions about their care options.

• To provide coordinated and streamlined access to all publicly supported long-term care options so that consumers can obtain the care they need.

• To provide options counseling in a person-centered, interactive, decision support process whereby individuals are supported in their deliberations to make informational, long-term support choices in the context of their own preferences, strengths and values.

• To assist individuals in planning for their long-term care needs.

Friday, June 8, at 1 p.m., will be the movie “Emergency Mine Rescue: An engineering triumph in Chile.”

The Chilean mine disaster of August 2010 riveted the world and brought attention to the fates of 33 miners trapped deep beneath the Earth’s surface. In this documentary, interviews with experts shed light on this most daring rescue. Among those providing insights are engineers, NASA experts and health officials. Using animation, we peer deep into the Earth and gain a new understanding of the geological challenges of this thrilling ordeal

Library

Come on in to The Den and check out our library. We have quite the collection of books, including some large print, as well as books on tape/CD, videos, DVDs and audio tapes for you to borrow.

Volunteer opportunities

We are currently accepting applications to assist in our library and dining room.

We are in need of someone that would like to volunteer in our small library about an hour every week or two to assist our lead library volunteer. We are in need of help re-shelving books, checking them back in and help to keep things tidy.

Like to greet people and lend a hand? We have the perfect opportunity for you. We are looking for a few people that would like to greet our folks, introduce new clients to our services, show them the ropes of the dining room and offer assistance to those needing help filling out our new client form. Please call Musetta at 264-2167 for an application.

At your service

Don’t hitchhike; let us do the driving! Get to where you need to go — door-to-door bus service is available Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday for seniors aged 60 plus. Suggested donation is $2 per day. Come hang out with us and enjoy our company. Call for details, 264-2167.

Food delivery

Are you struggling to get meals prepared because you are home bound, recovering from surgery or an illness? Let us do the cooking. Enjoy Senior Center meals delivered to your door. Our hot meal, home delivery program is available to those closer to town four days per week, and frozen meals for Thursdays and weekends. For those living further out of town, you may be eligible for the frozen meal program. Meals are available to people aged 60-plus for a suggested donation of $3 per meal. Give us a call at 264-2167 for further information. Donations are greatly appreciated.

Suggested donation for older adults aged 60 plus is $3, guests $6, kids 12 and under $3. Our meal program is partially funded through the Older Americans Act via the San Juan Basin Area Agency on Aging, United Way, Archuleta County, Town of Pagosa Springs and other donations and grants. These funds help support the cost of the meal, which is approximately $11.51. Please note our menu is subject to change. The salad bar begins at 11:30 a.m., with lunch served from noon to 12:30 p.m.

Lunches are served in Arboles on the first and third Thursdays of each month, weather permitting, in the basement of the Catholic Church. Reservations are required the Monday preceding. The suggested donation is $3 for ages 60 plus. Call 264-2167 for more information or to make a reservation.